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Italian Invasion of Ethiopia
On October 3, 1935, Italy invaded Etiopia. The Ethiopians fought back, however, did not have the correct technology to defeat the Italians. The did not have poison gas, tanks, or machine guns. The League of Nations tried to punish Italy by giving them sanctions , but did not have the power to. This was partly caused because Italy was still embarrassed by the loss to Ethiopia in the age of Imperialism in 1896. The Ethiopians fought back, however, lost the war in early 1936 -
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Holocaust
This was the systematic killing of the Jews in Germany, and anywhere that was occupied by Germany. They would put Jewish people in concentration camps, and force them to work. They would then put them in gas chambers, and kill them. It was a mass genocide This was caused by Hitler's belief that the Germans and the Aryans were the superior race, and all others were worthless. He believed that the Jewish people were the lowest of the low. -
Occupation of the Rhineland
In March 1936, Germany invaded the Rhineland, which was the border to France. Hitler built up a German military, and invaded. The Rhineland had been a demilitarized zone, set up by the Versailles Treaty. These two actions by Germany violated the hated Versailles Treaty. This increased Hitler's popularity, because it took down the Treaty that destroyed Germany's economy and weakened Germany. -
The Anschluss
The Anschluss was the union of Germany and Austria. This was another violation of the Versailles Treaty, that Hitler disregarded. The Anschluss started when the Nazis assassinated Engelbert Dolfuss, the austrian chancellor. He was replaced by a weak leader, and eventually caved into Germany's demands. -
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Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil War was a war started initially by a military rebellion, kicked off by Francisco Franco. He was followed by Fascist and right-wingers. He was fought by Loyalists, or supporters of the republic, which included communists, socialists, and democratic supporters The War started after the old government was thrown out, and a new republic began. The republic passed several laws that displeased many, and thus began a revolution. -
Air Raid on Guernica
The Air raid on Guernica was an atrocity by the Germans where they bombed a Spanish market. It caused about 1,600 deaths, and was one of the worst atrocities in the war. This was supposedly an experiment by the Germans to see what their planes could do. This was an effort in the Spanish Civil War, and was a demonstration of the power of modern technology, such as the new inventions of like radar and sonar. -
Munich Conference
The Munich Conference was when the leaders of Britain and France appeased Hitler during the Czech Crisis. They gave Hitler Sudetenland in Czechoslovakia by giving autonomy to nearly 3 million Germans, Hitler had asked that about 3 million Germans that 3 million Germans be given autonomy in the Sudetenland. He tried to sway the western democracies that he would no longer try to expand or attack anyone, which was a lie. -
Annexation of Czechoslovakia
The Annexation of Czechoslovakia was when Hitler asked for autonomy to be given to about 3 million Germans in Czechoslovakia. He also gained the Sudetenland in thaty deal because of Neville Chamberlain's policy of appeasement. This showed the weakness of the western democracies. They were using appeasement, and caved into Hitler's wishes. They did not want another world war, and thought they could stop it if they simply pleased Germany. They would be terribly wrong. -
Nazi-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact
This was the pact between Germany and the USSR to not attack one another. It really was an agreement to split up Poland. It was a mutual agreement to expand, and was later violated by Germany. The pact was formed because Hitler feared communism, as Stalin feared Fascism. Hitler agreed because he did not want to have to fight a war with the western democracies and the USSR at the same time. It also gave him easy entry to Poland, Hitler's next target. -
Invasion of Poland
This was the German invasion of Poland. This initially kicked off WWII because Britain and France then declared war on Germany and their allies. This was partly caused by the Nazi-Soviet Non-aggression pact, as the USSR gave Germany a free entry into Poland, and also gained land. While the USSR gave Germany an easy way to get into Poland, and take lives, and land from the Poles. -
Formation of the Rome-Berlin-Tokyo Axis
This was the alliance between Germany, Japan, and Italy in WWII. They fought against the western democracies (Allies) in Poland, France, North Africa, East Asia, and many more places. They joined together because they did not like the effects of the Versailles Treaty. Germany was destroyed after WWI because of reparations. Italy did not get the land they wanted from Germany, and Japan did not get the land they had wanted in China. -
Fall of France
The Fall of France was when the Germans came from the north, and Italy came from the south. This forced France to surrender, and set France up to be a puppet state. This was caused because the French had not thought to put the Maginot line all the way around France, not just on the German border. This allowed easier access into France by going around the Maginot line, and ultimately led to their demise. -
Formation of Vichy France
The formation of Vichy France was when Hitler forced France to sign a treaty in the same boxcar the Germans signed in on the end of World War One. This new French capital was Vichy, thus the name, Vichy France. This was a German Puppet state and was a German ally, while supposed to be neutral. They helped Germany in eliminating Jews during the holocaust, and gave them supplies. -
Formation of the Free French
The formation of Vichy France also caused the formation of the Free French . These people (ex-army officials) fought against the German people in France. They fought using guerilla warfare This army officials escaped from the fall of France and formed down South. They were led by Charles de Gaulle. They also helped drive out the Germans during the Allies' invasion of France, and worked internally to take down the Nazi Party. -
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Battle of Britain
This was the fight between the British Royal Air Force and the German Luftwaffte, and the proceeding bombings of London, and other major British cities. Theis was an attempt by Germany to defeat the last remaining stronghold in Europe. They tried to break Britian's morale, and ended up failing. The Germans expected Britain to surrender as they were the only democracy left. However, Britain resisted, and urged on by Winston Churchill, beat back the Germans -
Operation Barbarossa
This Operation was the operation to invade the USSR. Hitler sent about 3 million Germans to use the blitzkrieg style on the USSR. They started off well, but like Napoleon, were not ready for the Russian Winter, and were pushed back. Hitler Invaded the USSR for resources. "If I had the Ural Montains with their incalculable store of treasure in raw materials, Siberia with its vast forests, and the Ukraine with its tremendous wheat fields, Germany under the Nazi leadership would swine in plent". -
Attack on Pearl Harbor
This was the attack on the U.S. military base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The Japanese destroyed 19 ships, and more than 2,400 people. Japan attacked because the U.S. was interfering with their plans to expand into the Pacific. The attack was led by General Tojo Hideki, and he was angered by the U.S. banning sales to Japan. They woke the sleeping bear, and knocked pacifism right out the window. -
Battle of Midway
This battle stopped the Japanese expansion and decreased the power of the Japanese military. The U.S. defeated two Japanese fleets, and helped stop their advance This was a serious turning point. It started the U.S. on the offensive. It started the island hopping campaign, and took back many islands from the Japanese. This brought an end to the Japanese victories, and this is when the U.S. initially started to push them back. -
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Battle of Stalingrad
This battle was one of the costliest in the war. Hitler attacked Russia and wanted to take Stalin's city. The brutal battle killed about 3000,000 men. This battle drove out the Germans from the USSR. It decimated Hitler's troops and ultimately reduced his forces to make the assault easier. -
El Alamein
This battle was a key victory for the British. This stopped the advance of the Germans in North Africa. It also showed how intelligence can play a vital role in battles, as the British knew where the Germans were coming from. Bernard Montgomery defeated Rommel by destroying his supply chain, and knowing when he was going to attack. He destroyed his tanks and defeated his attack. -
D-Day
This was the invasion of France, that took back France from the Germans. The Allies sent about 176,000 troops, and even the Free French battled the Germans from within Vichy France. The battle took many days, as the Allies attacked many German operations such as factories and airplanes to make sure it was a success. The Allies wanted to make sure they would take back France, and regain a powerful ally. -
Battle of the Bulge
This was the battle after freeing France, which was a counter attack by the Germans. It lasted about a month with both sides taking huge loses. It was Hitler's last success before taking his own life. This battle was the start of the end of the war in Europe. Germany was taking 24/7 bombing, had very little resources (due to the constant bombing of factories), and did not have enough troops to continue the war, -
Iwo Jima
Iwo Jima showed that the U.S would have a difficult time defeating Japan, as their troops would fight to the death. They would use kamikazes to destroy ships, and launch suicide missions. This was one reason that the U.S. dropped the Atom bomb on Japan. This was what they figured was the easy way out, and Harry Truman decided to destroy Japan, and save thousands of American soldier's lives. -
V-E Day
This was the day after Germany surrendered in World War Two. This was after the Soviets entered the city, and Hitler committed suicide in his bunker. THis was the true end of the war in Europe. This was the ultimate defeat of Germany. Germany was already destroyed by bombs, leaderless, and defeated. Moreover, Mussolini had been executed and fascism was very dead. This stands for Victory in Europe Day. -
Decision to use Atomic Weapons
Harry Truman decided to use an atomic bomb on Japan. They warned Japan, and Japan ignored it. He then dropped the bomb on Hiroshima and ended the war. This was used because it was thought to be a way to save troops lives instead of fighting a bloody war with Japan. They knew tat it was a terrible force for destruction, and knew that they should use it with care. I think he was justified, because in the end, Japan would have sustained deaths no matter what, and it was a decision of losing tr -
V-J Day
This was the day that the Japanese emperor forced the government to sign a peace treaty with the U.S. onboard the battleship Missouri. This was after the dropping the two atomic bombs. This was caused because the Japanese emperor, Emperor Hirohito, intervened and forced the government to sign the treaty. This was the alternative to taking a long, drawn out war with Japan.